The Four
by M.G.S.H
Summary: This story is about how legends of old that come together in our modern times, and experience epic adventures. It is about more than just the two categories I listed because there are so many famous fictional and non-fictional legends.


Joan of Arc

I whirled my sword around and out of the corner of my eye I spotted Beowulf and a timid looking girl. I stopped my practice regime and stepped off the platform. I looked at the girl with dead eyes and she shrank back.

"What do you want?" I asked Beowulf.

"This is Guinevere, she just manifested," said Beowulf. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. I lit one of the cigarettes and took a deep breath. I breathed the smoke back into her face and raised an eyebrow.

"So what am I supposed to do about it?" I asked. Beowulf looked hesitant for a moment and I sheathed my sword.

"Come on, Guinevere I have someone you need to meet," I said.

I turned away from her and walked to the far wall. I pushed the garage doors open and led the timid girl through the Quad. The crowds of enthused people parted ways before me and I stopped in front of a shirtless boy. I pulled the girl forward and looked at the boy.

"Lancelot this is Guinevere. You're destined to fall in love, so hurried it up now," I said shoving the girl towards Lancelot. I turned to walk away and looked back.

"Oh, and welcome to The Academy, Guinevere," I said.

I walked back to Beowulf who stood just before the Quad and took a deep breath. I could feel the nicotine coursing through me and I shook my head.

"You should have taken her to the Headmaster," I said. I looked at the cigarette and threw it on the ground. I ground it with my foot and cocked my head to the side.

"What was the reason this time? Or are you collecting strays now?"

"I couldn't let Arthur get hurt. I just gave her to you so you could skip ahead in history," said Beowulf. I smirked and looked at Beowulf highly amused.

"All in the name of friendship. If you really wanted to skip ahead in history you would introduce Arthur to the Lady," I said.

"You know I can't," snapped Beowulf.

"Oh right Headmaster's daughter is off limits in your book," I said.

"She has to go to him and help him become the leader he is meant to be," exclaimed Beowulf.

"Then maybe you should have left history alone so it could repeat itself. But trust me when I say that some story lines are best left altered," I said my eyes clouded with pain of the past.

"I guess being burned alive every what sixteen years isn't ideal?" said Beowulf. I growled and narrowed my eyes.

"No it isn't. Every sixteen years I get burned alive, does that sound good to you? What sounds ideal about that? I have been resurrected over 1,000 times-and I have been burned alive over 1,000 times. So tell me what sounds ideal about that?" I hissed. I scowled at him and Beowulf shrank back.

"You aren't the only one that dies by fire," said Beowulf.

"Yes but I don't see you dying every sixteen years or 60 years. No you just keep living, and keep on and keep on. What is so special about you that you don't resurrect?" I asked.

"Probably the same thing as everyone else, you're the only one who resurrects," said Beowulf. I walked around him and closed the garage doors.

"I know," I muttered.

"Maybe you're special," said Beowulf in that sympathetic Barney the Purple dinosaur voice. My eyes narrowed and glared at him over my shoulder.

"Or maybe the rest of you are just shit," I said. Beowulf smiled and I smirked. I turned away from the garage and looked at Beowulf.

"Go fight Grendel or something, you're annoying me," I said.

"I like your original incarnation better," said Beowulf.

I waved him off and walked through the Quad and out the Arch to a road of brownstones. The Academy had a simple design centered around the Quad. The Quad was encircled by a series of interconnected old stone buildings that housed our classrooms, mess hall, and practice rooms as well as a ballroom or two. Three sides of the stone building had an arch at the center which led to a road of brownstones. The brownstones were our dorms and depending on where and who you lived with they also housed gyms, music rooms, or even in-house theatres. The last side of the stone building had a doorway in the center to a tunnel that burrowed deep and long under the earth and surfaced in the nearest largest metropolitan cities, which happened to be New York City, as well as D.C. and Boston. The Academy was in fact in the most remote reaches of the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. Our school was shrouded in magic by our Headmaster Merlin.

And while the school design seemed simple I left out the fact that it was built into and out of the mountain. From the sky it would look like giant spider bones, but more important than that simple fact was the students. All hundreds of years old, all immortal, and all were heroes and heroines of legends and myths of old. I was Joan, Joan of Arc. My story wasn't the oldest here, nor was it the most renowned or coveted. Those stories belong to ancient myths of gods and brawny, brave demi-gods.

But I was the most feared and dangerous of all reincarnated heroes. And it was simply because of the one thing that set me apart. I was burned alive every sixteen years and then resurrected 3 years later on the anniversary of my original incineration. I never aged beyond sixteen years and I was never resurrected early. I was in fact 581 years old.

I stopped at a particularly flower covered dorm and opened the door to find the smell of baking bread overwhelming the dorm. Our dorms were arranged just like houses with four total floors. There was the basement customized to the residents likings, the main floor with the living room, the kitchen, the library, and a dining room. The top two floors were purely bedrooms and bathrooms. I had a bedroom on the top most floor and shared the floor with three particularly agitating girls. One of the said girls came bounding up to me from out of the kitchen and I glowered down at her.

"Joannie we baked you some cake! Would you like a piece now or later?" chirped Marie-as in Marie Antoinette.

"How about never! Go back your vanity," I muttered.

"Oh Helen how funny is she!" laughed Marie. Helen of Troy came out of the kitchen gazing at herself in a jewel encrusted mirror and laughed.

"So funny," said Helen. So not bright.

"And where's Aphrodite? Shouldn't you be powdering your noses and brushing your hair in unison somewhere?" I asked.

"If you want beauty tips all you have to do is ask. We are the most beautiful girls on campus," said Helen smiling in the mirror. And the most vapid.

"No thanks Helen. I would rather be burned alive for the 582 time," I said.

"Oh there's Aphrodite now we can go shopping!" cried Marie. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Aphrodite came into the house practically floating on a cloud of her own perfume and looked me up in down.

"Still going for the military grunge look I see," said Aphrodite.

"Still going for the five year old blind girl look I see," I snickered back.

"At least I don't look like I came from a redneck infested motocross race," said Aphrodite.

"At least I don't look like Candy Land threw up on me," I muttered. I threw Aphrodite a glare and went upstairs. I climbed the spiraling stone stairs to my tiny back bedroom. I stripped out of my training clothes and walked into my shoebox of a closet. I pulled on a pair of skinny cargo pants and a black tank top. I pulled on a pair of my lace up combat boots and let my unruly flame red hair hang around the small of my back.

I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. I eyed the Three Stooges cake suspiciously and decided to eat Oreos instead. All the dorms had kitchens but they were mainly meant for making snacks and storing water. Everyone eat their meals at the mess hall. Most people didn't want to bother fixing their own food. Everyone was busy training or studying or, if you like the Three Little Kittens, dating and just didn't think food was that important. It comes from being ageless. Time, sleep, and food are less important than they used to be.

I sat down at the counter and looked at my watch. I had ten minutes. I had to be down at the Quad for the reading. 100 years ago the Oracle of Delphi was reincarnated and gave the Headmaster a prophecy. Only he has heard it and for 100 years we have waited for the coming of the prophecy. The Oracle now lives at the Headmaster's Mansion and at times of crisis she gives advice but other than that she remains a mystery. But yesterday the Oracle had startlingly announced that we were ready to hear the prophecy. Many people got excited and tried to convince Apollo to tell but he wouldn't give in. Some speculate that it is a total war; others think it is the dawn of a new era, or many believe it foretells the coming of a prophet or messiah. Personally I thought that was all crap.

Prophecies aren't told for the masses, they are told for the few. But I unlike most people had experience with prophecies and visions of this sort. This wasn't going to tell us about the next human era or Jesus' rebirth. There was one or few among us whose paths diverged from the rest of us, and it was time for them to start on their path. I hated prophecies, they never ended well.

My face scrunched up and I looked at the Oreos. I threw them in the trash and looked at my watch again. I sighed and marched out of the house. I slammed the door shut behind me and joined the crowd of students flooding into the quad. A wide circle formed around me and I rolled my eyes. People were always scared that I would burst into flames around them, and then the fire would spread and engulf the whole world in a fiery pit of doom. They didn't realize that it didn't work that way. I didn't just spontaneously combust. Most the time I was in the wrong place at the wrong time or some would say I was on the wrong side in the wrong war. I had been burned in a building fire, burned at the stake, lit on fire by McDonald's fry oil, blown up, and every other fire related form of destruction that was humanly imaginable. No one else ever caught fire but well I might as well have the Bubonic Plague.

My hair whirled around me and I walked swiftly under the arch. I made my way to the front of the makeshift bonfire and sat down. I put my face in my hands and took a deep breath. I could feel her presence. I could feel her divine influence. I could feel her all around me. It was a toxic feeling. Seeing the future was not a blessing but a curse. All you could do was see. You couldn't change what you saw, you just saw. It was horrible. The sky darkened and I found myself alone. The Headmaster stepped out of the shadows and onto a stage on the other side of bonfire. A hush fell over the crowd and I looked up. My ice eyes glittered with the warmth of the fire and the Headmaster zeroed in on me.

"There are those among us who have experienced the magic and majesty of divine visions. They know what today means. They know the gravity of this moment. And it is time that all here know as they do. 100 years ago the Oracle of Delphi was resurrected and gave me a prophecy. And since that day she had dwelled amongst us, only three knowing the tremendous words that the Oracle spoke. Today you will hear the words that rocked this school 100 years ago. Before Oracle speaks I ask that you listen and react appropriately once you hear these words. Do not shame yourselves and this institute," said Headmaster. Murmurs went through the crowd and then it was dead silence.

The Oracle had come forward and was watching us through glossed eyes. I looked into her clouded eyes and a force seemed to take over. The Oracles eyes glowed bright and she began to speak in a musical chorus of voices.

_As the Darkness comes Four must brave the Storm._

_The Phoenix, The Prince, The Power, and The Player journey West to find the truth_

_Desperately the truth must be sought. Desperately the truth must be found. Desperately the truth must be taken._

_But one known to them is the Traitor and one among them is the Savior. The Traitor will be their end unless the Savior can rise again._

_The Truth shall set the Light free._

The Oracles eyes stopped glowing and the Oracle stepped back. Her words rung in my ears and I put my face in my hands again. I closed my eyes and felt the weight of her words sink in. The Phoenix, the Prince, the Power, and the Princess were supposed to find the truth and stop the darkness. It had come again. And it had started again. I looked up and watched as the students searched themselves for answers. The Oracle looked about and I stood up. The Headmaster looked at me and I looked at the Oracle. I spat at her feet and turned away. I walked out of the bonfire and back to my dorm. I think acted appropriately, don't you?


End file.
